


Labouring in Crete

by poagthemoth



Series: The City, and Tales from it [1]
Category: The Mechanisms (Band), Ulysses Dies at Dawn - The Mechanisms (Album)
Genre: Canon typical murder, Canon-Typical Violence, Fights, Gen, also the Minos family is mentioned, don't feel too bad for Heracles though, laser pew pew
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2021-02-01
Updated: 2021-02-01
Packaged: 2021-03-12 06:55:39
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,836
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/29131416
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/poagthemoth/pseuds/poagthemoth
Summary: Heracles is in Crete for a job, and that job is horned and very angry.
Series: The City, and Tales from it [1]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/2137665
Comments: 2
Kudos: 6





	Labouring in Crete

**Author's Note:**

> content warnings-  
> \- there's descriptions of injuries and violence but it's not above the usual mechanisms standard  
> \- also death but not really more than the canon  
> \- smoking  
> \- there's a gun
> 
> that's all i think

He was waiting for something. He leaned against an old burned out lamp post on the side of a wide dim street and ran his fingers through his hair. He knew why the lamp wasn't on of course, everyone in Crete did, it was the entire reason he was there. The street was quiet and eerie, unusual for somewhere in the City and when Heracles is sent in to deal with a problem in the City, there's a good reason Heracles of all people is sent in. This entire part of the district had been abandoned over time since it had got loose, and he was here to capture it at the very least at his employer's behest. Of course sending one man to deal with a problem that has slaughtered countless Cretans that have already tried to subdue it was folly, but intentionally folly. He was used to doing the dirtiest of the Olympians' work for some time now. He sighed deeply and checked the watch in his jacket pocket, he thought it would have appeared by now.

Heracles slammed his fist against the lamp post, and cursed in anger. He had to get this done, even if Zeus was going to give him another job after he couldn't afford not to if he wanted to live a free man ever again. To think the start of this job had gone so well; the Patriarch of the Minos family himself had just allowed him to walk into it's stomping grounds and promised him immunity from any crimes if he just got the bastard out of Crete. He would have to thank him later for that, a job was always easier if the law enforcement weren't going to arrest him afterwards for doing it. Of course these days he was usually very quickly set free at Zeus's command, but he didn't want anymore debt to owe to his father or any of the Olympians for that matter. He started fidgeting with his suspenders, trying to pass the time in that dark street until it appeared. 

"It" in this case was the "Cretan Bull" as it was popularly known throughout the City. Zeus had mentioned to him it's "official" name as it was when manufactured by Poseidon Industries but Heracles wasn't the kind of guy to care about a minute detail like that. 

But it's tale was well known, Minos had needed something grand and powerful to ensure his claim over Crete against a number of jealous relatives. So he went to Poseidon, and his company built Minos a mighty horned metal beast on the understanding that Minos would hand it back to Poseidon Industries for their use after. However Minos decided he wanted it for himself to study it and steal it's secrets. 

Then his wife, Pasiphaë, gained an uncanny interest in it. She enlisted the help of Daedalus to copy it's code and engineering and make a new, improved version for the Minos family's own purposes. And you probably know how that went down in the City of course. But Poseidon wouldn't be defeated by the Minos family so easily and got the code of the Cretan Bull modified, seeking vengeance on the ageing ruler and his family through the monster. Now Heracles was here to finally take it back to Poseidon, after countless years of it rampaging around in Crete and heavily damaging the farming on levels located all over Crete.

Heracles knew all this of course, the damn thing had been around so long people worshipped it at this point. "At least I'm not dealing with the Minotaur", he smirked to himself and thought. He knew that would be interesting to watch play out when the Olympians decided to reveal that thing's existence. But this is not a tale about the Minotaur.

Heracles was not a very patient man, and even with all this knowledge imparted upon him, he knew this wouldn't be an easy job. He got up from leaning against the lamp post and decided to look for it himself, he didn't intend to end up in the Acheron today. He walked down the abandoned street and turned a corner, going down another dimly lit and empty street - when he heard it. 

A dull clunking from a few blocks away. He cursed at himself, he hadn't been paying enough attention. Then he heard the clunking get closer. It was close, Heracles had faced worse maybe; but not been so caught out like this. He quickly ran and barged through the door of one of the houses. He closed the door as best as he could and took out a laser from his jacket, slipping it in his trouser pocket. He would need it for the Bull. His back to the door he just clenched his jaw and slowed his breathing as best as he could, and waited. It wasn't too long before he was fairly sure it was about to be on the road of this street, he could hear a faint hissing now as well along with the clunking that seemed to grow louder with every noise. He ran through the door, smashing it into pieces and almost skidding into the middle of the street. About one hundred metres away, it stood.

It was a vaguely animal-like shape of grey metal, clearly in a much worse condition than it used to be after having been studied and battled it's way through Crete for so long. It's two horns were still there, but one had a large chunk chipped off and appeared loose. It's eyes glowed a deep red, as if it was filled with blood and not wires. It's body was hulking, it was a grand display of the best of Poseidon Industries engineering work, a trident symbol was even engraved onto it's back. A faint fur pattern was inscribed into it's body, making it almost look like an organic being if you ignored the rest, including the steam coming out from it's joints. It's design had been based on an animal, one long since extinguished. Heracles didn't like the look of it.

He stared it down and it seemed to do that also, the hissing only continuing as it stamped one of it's hooves against the road repeatedly. He felt his laser with one hand and steeled himself.

"Not your lucky day is it, you big old bastard?" he grinned as he said this, taunting the Bull to come closer. 

The Bull started to run then in an instant Heracles threw his jacket off, it landed neatly on a nearby lamp post. Then he felt thick steel rush into him and he went off his feet and slammed backwards down the street into a brick wall with a crunch, and felt the wind rush out of him. He looked down and saw his shirt torn and bloody, his body armour barely protecting his vitals. He reckoned a few ribs had been broken.

"Look what you've done now, asshole." his voice dripped with hate.

He staggered up, reaching for his laser in his pocket before he realised he had dropped it when he was knocked back. Then he saw the bull rushing again, it's crimson eyes filled with rage. Heracles just had the time to vault over it as it ran, his forearm catching on one of the horns as he jumped. It slammed into the wall behind him with a crash and roar. He had bought himself some time at least. He started to search for the laser, and then he saw the laser, it was on a narrow pavement, backed against the wall of a house. It looked badly dented, he hoped it still worked. 

He heard the stampede approach behind him and he turned trying to jump over it again. He didn't have the time for that so he just jumped and grabbed onto those horns and held tight as it ran through a small wall and backed Heracles up against a house, cutting into a leg with horns. He noticed the full extent of the sweat, blood and dust that covered him now; and the heat he felt against his body. This was tough.

He found it difficult to continue gripping those horns and keep himself from being slammed against the house at the same time so he took a risk. Pressing his heavy boots against the Bull's face for only a moment he moved his right hand from the more complete horn onto the other and pulled. The horn came clean off with a broken bundle of wires and it just looked astounded at him. Heracles took his moment and jammed the sharper end back into the hole where it had come off into a raw exposed socket of wires. Hearing a distorted cry of distress he ran with a limp to where he saw the laser. He clutched it with both hands and saw it coming again, it was pissed. The broken horn flew off and smashed through a window as it stormed towards him; Heracles steadied himself. He had made good distance away from it, all he needed now was the perfect shot.

His bloodied hands shook as he pulled the trigger. The laser bolted out of the gun and struck the Bull's head. It started to shut down in it's tracks, dead if it could ever be considered alive. Electricity shuddered throughout its body as it's eyes flashed and cut out and a neat smoking hole was left in it's forehead, a nest of burned out processors and wires inside. The mechanical body continued moving through sheer momentum even after it's systems were shut down until it stopped just before Heracles, the last of the steam leaking out. He stared into its cold dead eyes and weakly smiled, and felt the adrenaline wear off. Unable to ignore his wounds he slumped down by it's body and dropped the laser. 

After a short rest he took his jacket down and returned the laser to it, he took a cigarette from a packet and lit it. Inhaling the smoke he allowed himself a moment of satisfaction, another job done towards redemption and no more debt to account for it. He looked over at the battered houses and walls, but he knew he had immunity from any crimes committed on this job; the cameras weren't even active in this area in the first place. He slipped the broken horn into it and put his jacket back on and continued smoking as he started to slowly pull the monster down the street and out of Crete. He would hand it in to Poseidon Industries and his father would consider more of his debt paid. His injuries were nothing he couldn't afford but he had expected the body armour to do better, he would make sure to pay a visit to the salesman after this.

So the blood-drenched Heracles limped and took the now shut down Cretan Bull away, and yet again, he had done his labour.

**Author's Note:**

> this was alot of fun to write and i think i translated the greek mythology of his 7th labour fairly well into it along with the existing udad lore  
> this is also the start of a series of like stand alone stories involving the past of characters from the city, the first being heracles obviously so if you're interested feel free to watch if i manage to complete more than one work in it
> 
> kudos and feedback etc is welcome, also i have a twitter @poagthemoth


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